Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

Anyone that knows me knows I used to live in New York and absolutely loved the food out there.  Pulled pork, sloppy Joes - I like it all and I’ve put together this recipe that’s low in syns without compromising on flavor.  I admit that generally I don’t make my own BBQ sauce as it’s not worth it, I syn that out at 1 syn per squirt (that’s the technical measurement) but regardless this is very much a diet favorite

Ingredients

1 pork shoulder (I always go for the biggest one that’ll fit in the slow cooker or even two small ones – might as well while it’s cooking as pulled pork freezes absolutely fine)

4 onions cut into chunks

6 garlic cloves crushed or peeled and cut in half

½ pink chicken stock

For the rub:

4 tbsp smoked paprika

3 tbsp coarse sea salt

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

2 tbsp chilli powder

2 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp dry mustard powder

1 tbsp black pepper

Method:

Put pork to one side which will allow it to come to room temperature as you get ready

Coarsely chop the onions, put in the slow cooker pot

Crush or peel and halve garlic cloves and add to onions in pot

Add ½ pint chicken stock and put slow cooker on low

Mix all dry rub ingredients together and rub over pork, if you have a lot of pork and need to make more just halve the ingredients and make a little more but be sure to cover all the meat

Cover the meat with the dry run and then make sure everything's got the mix on it

 I leave the skin on the pork, I find that this gives a more tender meat after cooking and as I ‘pull’ the pork when it’s still warm I can see and easily remove all visible fat 

Please the pork with rub on the onion/garlic mix and leave in the slow cooker for about 8 hours depending on how big your pork is.  If you’re unsure whether it’s ready get a fork and pull at the end, if it comes off easily you’re done

Make sure the pork is covered with the rub and put on the onion/garlic bed - just need the stock now

When your pork is cooked lift it out of the slow cooker and put on a cutting board to rest slightly.  I leave mine about 20 minutes or so

Once rested remove the entire top skin and all visible fat adhering to the top of the pork

To ‘pull’ the pork I just get two forks and sort of detach chunks and shred them as I go along.  I’m quite fussy so as I do I look at the pork and remove and small pieces of fat from the warm meat and transfer the pulled, lean meat to a dish.  It’s ready to serve whenever you like, I just add a few squirts of BBQ sauce and usually put in lettuce up wraps with sweetcorn, obviously this is perfect in bread rolls and on its own with loads of veg and even chips 

If you want to use the stock again in the future, while it’s still warm strain off the garlic and onions and leave to one side to cool, or alternatively throw in some ice cubes to attract the fat.  Either way when cool the fat will create a skin that you can remove and discard leaving you with a fat free pork stock.  I sometimes use this as an extra flavor base when I make chilli as it gives the mince a nice slow cooked, slightly smoky taste but it’s subtle

Slow cooked pulled pork in lettuce cups